The invention relates to climbing shoes. More particularly, the climbing shoe with concave bottom shape relates to climbing shoes where the bottom surface of the shoe assists the climber in maintaining a firm foothold on the rocks.
Traditional climbing shoes have generally flat surfaces on the bottom of the climbing shoe. With a flat surface, the edges of the toe replaced on little foot holds on the rocks. Just the placement and pressure of the flat bottom surface of the shoe on the rocks assists in maintaining the foothold on the rocks. The climbing shoe needs great stability, since the whole weight of the individual may be supported by just the edges of the toe and the climber""s hands. The climbing shoe must retain a solid hold on the rocks, when the climber stretches to reach the next foothold or hand old in the rocks. Climbing shoes with flat bottom surfaces can be prone to slipping and losing their grip on the rocks.
The prior art includes walking shoes that have a bottom outer sole with outside edges that protrude lower than the remaining inner portion of the bottom outer sole. The shape is designed to flex when walking to absorb some of the impact of the foot upon the walking surface. The curvature of the outer sole does not remain rigid, and the inner portion of the bottom outer sole flexes to touch the walking surface during walking. The edges are thicker than the other areas, so sensitivity is lost. The climber cannot adequately sense and feel the foot holds, when the edges are thick.
This walking shoe design is most disadvantageous for climbing. There is a need for a climbing shoes where the shape of the bottom outer sole is substantially maintained, so the climbing sole can hook on a rock. The hooking grip of the climbing shoe upon the small crevices can be lost if the bottom outer sole fails to remain rigidly in shape or when the climbing shoe bottom surface is flat, thus susceptible to slipping from the rocks. Very small projections in the rocks are used to hook the shoe of a climber. Just a small area of the bottom outer sole may be supporting the climber""s weight when hooked on the rock. Walking shoes with curved outer soles are not designed to rigidly support the climber""s weight, to the contrary, walking shoes are designed to flex to cushion the impact upon the foot.
In one prior art design, the sole tread pattern adapts to all types of ground due to its adjustable stud profile. As the foot presses down, the sole changes shape to grip the ground contours and on soft ground the studs penetrate the soil. As the weight is taken off the sole, it releases energy, giving wearers an added spring to their step. The changing shape of the sole is advantageous for walking, but can be detrimental in rock climbing. A sole that flexed and changed shape would be susceptible to losing a grip on a rocky ledge.
Therefore, there is a need for a climbing shoe with a bottom surface that is shaped for hooking the shoe on a rock ledge. Climbing shoes with flat surface are prone to sliding off of the rocks, when the climber stretches for a new hold and shifts his or her body weight. The new climbing shoe requires a shape that will provide greater traction and grip when climbing rocks than the traditional walking shoes or climbing shoes.
A climbing shoe with a concave bottom shape fulfills the objective of a climbing shoe with a bottom surface that is shaped for hooking the shoe on a rock ledge. The climbing shoe with a concave sole provides greater traction and grip when climbing rocks, which provides greater safety and confidence for the climber.
A climbing shoe with a concave bottom shape includes an inner sole, an outer sole attached to the inner sole and having a front section and a back section, and a middle sole embedded between the inner sole and the outer sole at the front section of the outer sole. The middle sole is concave in shape. The edge of the middle sole is spaced from the edge of the outer sole by a substantially uniform and predetermined distance at the front section of the outer sole. The outer sole conforms to the concave shape of the middle sole. The concave shape allows the outer sole to hook on a rocky ledge. The middle sole provides a structure that causes the concave outer sole to substantially maintain the concave shape when pressure is applied to the outer sole.
A molded stiffener forms the middle sole. The middle sole forms apertures. The apertures reduce the amount of material used in manufacturing the middle sole and reduce the weight of the middle sole. The middle sole is slightly stiff to maintain the concave shape, yet also has some flexibility to absorb the forces applied to the shoe.
The outer sole has about a uniform thickness. The uniform thickness of the outer sole maintains and emulates the concave shape of the middle sole. The outer sole forms the shoe bottom surface, which is also concave due to the concave shape of the molded middle sole. The substantially uniform thickness of the outer sole results in the bottom surface conforming to the concave shape of the middle sole. The concave shape of the bottom surface of the outer sole provides increased hooking ability on the rocks for the climber.
The edges of the outer sole need to be thin enough to feel the foothold. Thin edges on the outer sole provides stability, in contrast to the thick edges of the prior art walking shoes that ire prone to slipping on the rocks. A concaved shoe bottom provides added edging power for standing on small footholds, because the edges will grab the foothold and will not move around to cause a slip from the foothold. Thin flat uniformed thickness outer soles are used to provide better sensitivity.
The climbing shoe with a concave sole is further described with detail in the appended figures, description and claims.